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Join the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition

A healthy democracy depends on the free flow of information. To be engaged and to hold their elected officials accountable, citizens need to know what’s going on in their communities. They have a right to know.

The news media play a vital role in defending your freedom-of-information rights and using them to expose corruption, life-threatening problems or the need for policy reforms. But there aren’t as many Woodwards and Bernsteins as there used to be. Newsroom staffs have shrunk dramatically in recent years, as have news media budgets to wage costly legal battles against violations of open-government statutes.

Organizations and individuals need to do their own investigative reporting these days. But don’t take it for granted that the public information you seek will be produced in a timely manner, that it will be reasonably priced or even available at all. Understand your legal rights of access to information and meetings, how to request documents and data from government agencies and what to do when you’re denied.

The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition is your watchdog. We provide Colorado citizens and journalists with a resource and partner in defending access to public information.

The CFOIC, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is a nonpartisan alliance of groups and individuals. Members represent varied interests and political persuasions but share a common passion for government transparency.

CFOIC initiatives:

Open-government seminars

Hotlines supported by the state’s leading media-law attorneys

Blog, newsfeed and online resources

Monitoring the legislature, state agencies, courts and local governments for open-government actions and issues